(Source: Press release from the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, February 4, 2025)
On February 3, rail union leaders gathered for a virtual media briefing to call for safety reforms across the freight rail industry on the two-year anniversary of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. House Transportation Committee Vice Ranking Member Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13), Rail Subcommittee Ranking Member Dina Titus (D-NV-01), and Rail Subcommittee Member Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) and former Rail Subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls (R-TX-22) opened the briefing with a firm commitment to advancing bipartisan rail safety reforms. Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, moderated the discussion.
Ahead of the media briefing, rail union leaders sent joint letters to the big six freight railroads urging them to fully participate in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), which allows rail workers to report safety concerns without retaliation from employers.
The letters were sent to the six Class I freight railroads operating in the United States, including Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Canadian National, Union Pacific, and CPKC.
Nearly two years ago, these rail companies pledged to join the program. Following public pressure from rail unions and then-Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, all Class I railroads pledged on March 2, 2023, that they would join the system. While there are three pilot programs covering a modest amount of workers, not a single railroad has become a full participant and delivered on their promise.
Rail leaders highlighted the worsening safety trends across the industry and the harmful impacts of the precision scheduled railroading (PSR) business model that prioritizes profits over safety. The leaders also renewed calls for Congress to act by passing a comprehensive rail safety bill that codifies the two-person crew staffing minimum; requires the Class Is to join the C3RS program; increases maintenance, testing, and inspection of critical rail equipment; strengthens federal regulations on defect detector technologies, phases out old and brittle tank cars that carry hazardous materials; establishes a federal dispatcher and signalmen certification process; and improves communications and notifications to first responders following safety incidents, among other critical safety improvements.
Full story: www.ttd.org